Dinner in the nave at Caistor Parish Church

Pews were pushed aside as Caistor Church brought the community in for Dinner in the Nave.

The congregation of St Peter and St Paul Church served up a four-course meal as part of their ongoing fundraising efforts for the Heritage Lottery funded project to repair the church roof and reach out to the community.

The event was inspired by Lincoln Cathedral’s Magna Carta and Charter of the Forest Dinners.

Vicar of Caistor, Canon Ian Robinson, said: “As well as this being a fund raising event, it was also about reaching out to the community to show that there is more to the church than services on a Sunday.

“Fortunately, the pews are free standing so it was possible to move them to the side – albeit this was still quite an undertaking as they are quite heavy.”

Around 70 guests were served Pimms on arrival and were entertained by a string quartet of past and present students of Caistor Grammar School, under the leadership of Fran Thomson.

Guest of honour was Canon Jeff Heskins.

Canon Robinson added: “Since the event, we have received lots of positive comments from those who attended.

“We have been the ‘talk of the town’ – in a positive way.”

The church was awarded £249,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund last August towards a major restoration of the church and improvements to the visitor experience

The project is now at the stage of inviting tenders for work on the roof.